This is the last chapter. The Hockey Girls saga is complete … until inspiration strikes again. Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, alerted, and favorited. Virtual hugs all around!

Until next time,

Brandi

Chapter 10, Derek: On the Road

"I'm going to miss you so much," he coos as she slips her hands around his waist.

"Me, too," she answers as he holds her face in his hands.

"Think I'm gonna hurl," I growl as Casey and I stand in the street watching Lizzie and Ricky's disgusting display of affection.

Casey smacks my head lightly and rolls her eyes. "Like you're not capable of even more atrocious displays of affection."

"You find my affections atrocious? That's a bad thing, right?"

Casey tears her eyes away from her sister and gives me one of those looks. You know the one. Where I'm an idiot and I better shut up before I ruin the moment.

She throws another suitcase into the trunk of the Prince, and I'm resigned to help her. We're packing everything for this trip to see Gran; we're leaving right from the Blue Heron for Kingston. I look up at the house, and feel the slightest pang of homesickness already. It's the last time Casey and I will be here until winter break. Our schedules are too hectic in the fall to even think about coming for a visit.

"Good summer, huh, Case?" I ask, heaving the last suitcase into the trunk.

"Amazing summer." She looks up at me and smiles. "But I'm happy to be heading home soon." She gives me another type of look, this one saying how much she can't wait to jump me as soon as our Queen's apartment door swings shut. Maybe before.

I freaking love her, have I mentioned that lately?

"Hey lovebirds, time to go," Dad calls to Lizzie and Ricky, and they reluctantly break apart. Lizzie climbs into the backseat of the Prince with Casey.

Ed climbs into the passenger seat next to me, and we fall in line behind Dad's car. Lizzie and Ricky are still calling to each other as we turn the corner, and then, finally, he's out of sight.

I lean over to Ed. "You know you're going to have to keep an eye on those two while I'm gone."

Edwin nods seriously. "I'm on it, bro."

"Oh, leave her alone," Casey sighs.

Lizzie reaches up to the front of the car and punches Edwin's arm. Edwin yelps, even though I can tell it doesn't actually hurt. "Don't worry, Casey. I can handle my spying weasel of a stepbrother," she snickers.

Edwin sticks his tongue out at her. I get a weird feeling watching them interact. They're acting sort of like … us. But they're totally different from Casey and me. For one thing, Lizzie and Ed have been best friends since the day we moved in together, and, well, you know things were a little different with Casey, even though they worked out for the best. Maybe Lizzie and Edwin just goof around a lot more now. But still. I decide to keep a close eye on them during this trip. You never know—stranger things have happened.

Suddenly I want to be sitting next to Casey. I pull over.

"Hey!" Edwin fumes as I practically shove him out the door.

"Sorry, Ed. I decided Casey deserves the privilege of sitting next to me." I turn around and smile at her, and she shakes her head at me, smiling back. Casey and Ed switch seats, and I watch carefully in the rearview mirror as Edwin slides in next to Lizzie. She immediately pulls out a set of earbuds and hands Edwin one. Sharing the set, they plug it into Lizzie's iPad and start fiddling with the screen together. I realize they've already tuned out the rest of the world.

Casey pecks me on the cheek after she's buckled her seatbelt, and it breaks my concentration on the mirror. She raises her eyebrows at me.

"There are some things we might wanna talk about when we're alone," I whisper, and she shrugs, accepting that.

Figures she wouldn't see it. I was in love with her for three-and-a-half years and I she didn't have a clue, so that tells you a little something about Casey's observation skills.

I pull back out onto the road, and Casey teases, "You better go the speed limit. If that same cop from last year catches us …"

I roll my eyes. "Then you can take the fall. He thought you were the crazy one, after all."

"He did not!"

I just laugh. She rests her hand on my thigh and I know she's not doing it to distract me, but suddenly I have to pay a lot closer attention to the road. "This trip is already gonna be so much better than last year."

"I know. Gran is so excited to meet Simon," she agrees.

"I meant because of us being together. No Roxy, no Jesse." I roll my eyes just saying their names.

"I knew what you meant." I sneak a glance at her and she's biting her lip. "I just didn't want to bring up a sore subject," she says.

"Which one is the sore subject?"

"Both!" she laughs.

"I love you, Casey McDonald." I can't help the grin from spreading across my face. She leans over to kiss my cheek again, and we don't hear a peep from the backseat. My eyes flicker to them in the mirror and their heads are close together, whispering about something. The sight of them fills me with hope that I'm not just imagining things.

"Against all odds, I think I'd have to agree that I love you, too, Mr. Venturi," Casey says after watching me for a moment. I can tell that now she's dying to know what I'm thinking, because she can usually tell so easily. But she'll just have to be patient (as difficult as that is).

I smirk over at her. "No one can resist the Venturi charm."

"Guess not." Her eyes flicker to the backseat and it looks like she's finally starting to get it.

We spend the rest of the ride quietly, sometimes talking, sometimes holding hands, and looking out at the scenery. We'll get to enjoy the rest of the summer with our family and then it's back to the home we've made together in Kingston. A year ago I never thought Casey would ever look at me as anything but her annoying stepbrother, let alone as boyfriend material.

And now here we are. It's been an amazing year, and I know as long as we're together, life's only going to get better.